A clothing store that has been a mainstay on Brown Street in North Kingstown for 70 years is turning to crowdfunding to stay in business, with the goal of raising $148,000 by July 28 through an online appeal to patrons.

A clothing store that has been a mainstay on Brown Street in North Kingstown for 70 years is turning to crowdfunding to stay in business.

Wilson’s of Wickford is asking its patrons for $148,000 in donations by July 28 to pay vendors so it can restock, the store says on its web page, its Facebook page and Crowdtilt, its crowdfunding page.

Crowdtilt collects pledges online until the goal, or “tilt,” is reached. Then the contributions are collected and Wilson’s gets the money. If the pledges do not reach the goal, no one has to pay, “and the store will cease operations likely sometime in August,” the request says.

It’s “awkward and embarrassing,” said James Wilson, one of the brothers whose grandfather started the store in 1944 and whose father, Paul Wilson, ran it before them.

He said the sale of the property “settled the situation with the bank,” which he called “very, very costly. It put us behind the eight ball.” Despite the sale of the building, “We have not been able to get in front of it again.”

James Wilson said the family explored other options. “We’ve had some discussions with some other people in the last five or six months that would have been helpful,” he said, but nothing panned out.

Alex and Ani founder Carolyn Rafaelian is in the final stages of planning a Teas and Javas in the space at 35 Brown St. that Wilson’s vacated when it downsized in 2011; Rafaelian owns the building through 35 Brown Street LLC, an Alex and Ani spokesman said Monday.

As recently as a few weeks ago, James Wilson said, the clothing store’s prospects “just didn’t look terribly promising.” Then “somebody sent me a link on crowdfunding, which I didn’t know anything about, and never heard of before.”

He said they did some research and learned that Crowdtilt had helped save a toy store in Edwardsville, Ill. He said they decided the innovative crowdfunding company “provided our best opportunity to turn our business around.” The request went up Friday, he said, and by 6 p.m. Monday the total had reached $39,225.

“We have downsized, kept up with both economic and apparel trends, and persevered,” the online request says. “We are no longer in a position to do this alone and we need your help.

“Our vendors have been patient, but need to be paid before they will ship new fall merchandise. The deadline for payments is July 31.”

Besides paying off vendors, the store will use the money to restock, add new lines and products, open an online store, write a modern marketing plan and buy software that will help with accounting and inventory.

“It’s only through the community that this is going to work,” said James Wilson, who told of watching a teenager come into the store and contribute $3 to the effort.

“Every bit counts,” he said.

The request includes a caution for donors to be aware “that this contribution is a gift. Your financial donation, regardless of value, is not tax deductible, nor does it entitle yourself or any of your relatives to special entitlements to or at Wilson’s of Wickford including an ownership interest, expectation of return or profit, or any other pecuniary interest of advantage.”

Crowdtilt’s website says it does charge a 2.5-percent fee once a fundraising campaign is successful.

The request also makes a pitch for people to shop in small businesses. “Please keep in mind the thousands of wonderful, hardworking people in small businesses in our town and throughout our state when making purchases,” it says.

James Wilson added: “We all have choices in how we’re going to purchase,” asking consumers to keep independent businesses in mind.